Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-11-17
JUDGMENT AND MERCY.
EXPLANATORY NOTES BY REV. GEO.
p. HAYS, D. D., IL. D.

the Lesson, Matt. xi, 1890; Golden Text
Matt. II, 28.
Some lessons are so familiar and so easy
and so precious to the heart of the Christian
world as to make them exceedingly hard to
explain. This lesson is one of these Verses
22-26, and especially 2S, % and so, have come
TO be like proverbs in the mind of the church:
and 26 to 30 ought to be in the memory of
every Christian. Of course, landlord will
expect larger rent from the tenant of his
large and fruitful farm than from the tenant
OF the little cabin, with only its potato patch
In addition So also, of course increased op-
portunlties increase responsibilities This is
simply the common sense of business and
daily life applied to religion
Mighty wOrks.-With these verses before
us our curiosity is excited to ask what mighty
works were done in ChOrazin, Bethsaida and
Capernaum. As to Chorazin there is no
record whatsoever of any works done there
The same is true of BethSaida As is stated
in John xxi, %, all Christs miracles are
not reported in the New Testament. OF
ChOrazin scarcely anything is known. Beth
salda was possibly the birthplace of Peter.
Andrew and Philip. Capernaum was the
home of Christ, and at the time of the public
are recorded as having been done or spoken
in Capernaum. OF Capernaum. however.
this Is to be noted, that it is not once men,
toned in the Old Testament. nor anywhere
outside of the four Gospels in the New TeSta-
ment.
Degrees of punishment % and "a
explicitly teach the doctrine Of comparative
punishment. Gods system of penalties is NOT
like prison wall or furnace of fire. where
every one suffers precisely the same Accord
ing to each ones desert, SO will be theseyerity
OF each ones suffering. The Revised Version
translates the word hell of V. % by the word
hades. Two Greek words are translated
IN the Authorized Version of the New Testa-
ment by the English word hell. In the Re
vlsed Version the distinction between these
two Greek words is maintained by translat-
ing the one of them hades This word. like
the sheol of the Old Testament, means tIle
condition of the dead, without necessarily in
volv1ng the idea of suffering. Christ entered
into hades by ais becoming dead, but did not
enter into hell. Hades, as here applied to
Capernaum, means its disappearance from
the lace OF the earth as buried people disap-
pear. Tyre and Sidon and SOdom had not
as much light and opportunity as Chorazin
and Bethsalda and Capernaum, but they had
enough to leave them without excuse The
enormousness of the punishment of Chorazin.
Bethsa1da and Capernaum is shown in the
TACT that their locality is matter of dispute
among travellers of the present day. But the
sites OF Tyre and Sidon are known and inhab-
Ited towns still exist in both places.
ms doctrine of the resulting obligations
arising from providential mercies underlies
verse %. Wisdom often works itself out into
an egotlsm which destroys the simple Gospel.
verse 70 is the only explanation which we
are able to give Of the unrevealed reasons for
Gods distinguishing providences A deaf
and dumb boy was once asked why he was so
anllcted while his questioner had both speech
and hearing. Going to the blackboard, he
wrote as his answer this twenty-sixth verse.
happy Is the Christian, old or young, who
Is able to rest content in the presence of
dod's mysterious dealings, in the faith in
volved in that verse.
God manlfested--God manifest in the flesh
is the highest and clearest revelation God
has made. The indwelling of the Saviour.
as matter Of experience, is the best inter-
prefer of the description of Christ and of
jod given in the word The external revela-
lon and the internal experience are thus
mutually explanatory. A blind man has
great difficulty in understanding much about
the science of optics So unconverted per
sons may study the Bible, but they cannot
understand it as those do whose inward ex-
per1ence answers to and explains the mean
ing of Gods threatenings and promises.
What is restAThat is really work that
works out only into disappointment and fail
ure. Labor is the active side Of suffering. and
heavy laden is its passive side. Lifting when
we are well is not necessarily very painful.
especially if the burden is not disproportion-
ately heavy; but if we have a dislocated
shoulder and broken arm and an infamed
muscle, any lifting is torture. We were made
to work in harmony with God. When then
we come to resist him, we are wrenching and
twisting ourselves. To do Gods will was the
work for which man was made. When there
fore Christ says, II will give you rest, ;" he
does not mean that thereafter you shall have
nothing whatever to do. Spiritual inactivity,
which is neither good nCr bad, is an impossi-
billty to any human being. What we need
therefore is not idleneSs, but work which
shall not be WEAKNESS.
Christs rest-So Christ's exhortation,
learn Of me" is in the line of this perfect
adaptation of the worker to his work The
yoke he bore was the will of his Father, and
III LIS iileekleSS ana MS I0WnneSS OF heart IL
was his meat to do this will and to finish the
work which he was sent to do. That yoke
was easy to him and that burden light to
him. 1t goes therefore to the heart of the
question of our likeness to Christ when he
says to us, ''my yoke is easy and my burden
Is light" He does not merely mean the yoke
and the burden which he will give to his
people and require them to take; he includes
In the phrase my yoke and my burden" the
yoke and burden he himself has borne. In
order, however, to find these easy it is neces-
sary that we should take on his nature, his
love for God and his hatred for sin. This
burden will be heavy to the unrenewed
heart, but it will be light to the unregenerate
nature. In him, therefore, alone can that
adaptation to the task we have to do be Sc
cured which will make these tasks easy of
performance.
REMEMBER
l. WillfulneSs, not lack of evidence. is the
cause of unbelief
2. The day of Judgment will come.
8. Many who are exalted will be brought
low
4. God reveals spiritual truth to those
ready to receive it
5. We know God through Christ.
g. In Christ is rest